


All That’s Left

by CrashHale



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Best Friends, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Marine Jughead Jones, Single Parents, Survivor Guilt, Widow Betty Cooper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 13:19:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18717868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrashHale/pseuds/CrashHale
Summary: Jughead didn’t mean to fall in love with his best friend’s widow, and Betty didn’t mean to fall in love with her late husband’s best friend. Maybe they’ve loved each other all along.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I forced myself to write because I've been feeling uninspired and emotional the last week or so. It's unedited and I do not have anything else for it yet. I just wanted to put something up that I'm working on instead of having a dozen WIP docs with no one but me to look at them.
> 
> If I write more, which I imagine it'll be one more chapter at the least, I'll add appropriate tags.

It was wrong. He knew it was.

 

But as the days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, he realized he couldn’t lie to himself anymore. He was in love with Betty, his best friend’s widow.

 

 _How fucked up is that_ , he thought, parking his truck in the driveway of the very familiar home. Especially since the four year anniversary of Sweet Pea’s death was right around the corner. This time of year always had him a little more emotionally unstable, so really, it was bad timing.

 

“Juggie!” Johnny yelled from the screen door, flying out of the door and running all the way into Jughead’s arms.

 

“Hey, kid,” he said enthusiastically, “how was school today?”

 

“Boring,” Johnny shrugged.

 

It made Jughead laugh. His father had never had much of an appetite for school either. He was always cheating off Jughead.

 

“Don’t tell your mum that, her head might explode,” He put the kid down as he joked, messing his hair up as they made their way inside.

 

Johnny ran in ahead of him, yelling to his mother that Jughead had arrived. It smelled amazing, the aromas of Betty’s cooking only filling his heart with more love. It was crazy thinking back to when they first lost SP. He’d lost half of himself back then and thought that he’d never be able to feel whole again.

 

He was wrong. Day by day he somehow got through it.

 

He walked deeper into the house, the place he felt most at home in, and stepped over to the kitchen counter, making sure to stay out of Betty’s way but still watching as she moved around the small kitchen with ease and prepared their dinner.

 

“Hey,” he said, watching as if in slow motion she blew the stray blonde hairs off her face. She had something going in the oven and it was pretty hot in there. She looked beautiful though, even with the light layer of sweat forming over her sun kissed skin.

 

“Hey,” she smiled at him, turning her attention to Johnny again. “Did you wash your hands, young man?”

 

Johnny answered by running to the bathroom.

 

She directed her attention onto Jughead again. “What about you? Your hands clean?”

 

His responded much the same way, stepping around to wash his hands in the kitchen sink. “All clean, mum,” he teased.

 

He always wanted to help, but knew well enough by now that Betty didn’t need it. “Should I set the table?” It was the least he could do.

 

“Sure,”

 

As he did he tried not to think about his recently discovered feelings.

 

This was meant to be Sweet Pea’s life, not his. He remembered the day Sweet Pea admitted he had a thing for Betty and the excitement on his face when she agreed to a date at the drive in. He remembered their wedding day at the courthouse, at which he was the best man. They did it only days before he and SP left to go serve.

 

The two men spent years surviving together in the Marines.

 

They’d been through everything together. Jughead was the first person Sweet Pea came to with any news or when he needed advice. He came to him after his phone call with Betty, telling him she was pregnant, and he was there when they bought their home - _this_ home.

 

Sweet Pea and Jughead spent every break fixing the house up, turning it into something Betty and the baby deservered, and it was on one of those very nights, when they shared a beer on the back porch after a day of renovations, that SP made him promise.

 

_“I know this is kind of a shit topic to bring up, man,” SP said, looking ahead into the dark and taking a long pull from his beer bottle._

 

_Jughead knew it was always hard for him to be open emotionally so he gave him all the time he needed._

 

_“I have a son now,” he said, not believing it himself. “I need you to promise me, if anything ever happens to me you’ll take care of him and Betty… You’ll make sure they never lose this house just ‘cause I’m not around to pay the mortgage. You gotta promise she’ll never go through shit alone.”_

 

_Jughead didn’t like the topic either, but their line of work made death a very real possibility. “You know you don’t even have to ask me that, brother. I’ll look after them like they’re my own,” They were his own. Betty and Johnny were his family just like Sweet Pea was._

 

_Sweet Pea nodded his thanks, and that was that._

 

He’d kept his word after Sweet Pea died in battle, at least in the financial sense. He made sure the mortgage was paid ahead and that Betty was stable financially, that she didn’t have to worry about how she’d feed a toddler and herself while grieving for her husband.

 

Emotionally he was completely off the rails, and Betty was the one who was there to hold him when he broke down like a goddamn baby. He knew she was broken too, but the girl was stronger than anyone he knew.

 

She’d been through hell and back, a serial killer father and crazy mother leaving her for a cult, and yet she came out the other end the sweetest person he’d ever met. She was unlike anyone else.

 

He didn’t realize that after he set the table he just kind of stood there, looking at the picture of him and Sweet Pea on the wall, arms over each other’s shoulders and mid laugh. He missed him every fucking day, and it was still heartbreaking to know he’d never get to see him again, he’d never get to laugh with his best friend or share a beer at the Whyte Wyrm.

 

The two looked like brothers, always mistaken as being so. Sweet Pea was always considered the older one, because he was slightly larger built than Jughead, but in fact SP was exactly two months and ten days younger.

 

The sound of Johnny moving a chair out so he could sit at the table had him snapping out of it, turning around with a smile. “Hungry?”

 

He nodded excitedly as Betty put down the first of the dishes. Knowing her there was at least a few more to go.

 

“Don’t worry, I have more coming,” she assured. “I know my hungry boys love to eat.”

 

He loved when she included him as one of her boys. She was the closest family he had after Sweet Pea, his father a drunk that may as well not be a part of his life and his mother and sister long gone.

 

Jughead helped Betty with the rest of the food before they all sat down and both boys went in like they had been starved for days. In reality it was just that Betty’s food tasted so good.

 

“So how was your day?” she asked.

 

Jughead tried not to speak with a full mouth as he gave her the quick rundown on his day. He owned a garage now, something SP and him had always talked about, he honestly loved working for himself, knowing where he was going every morning and free to do with his evenings as he wished. Usually that was grabbing a beer with the guys at the bar or taking care of Johnny now that Betty was in night school.

 

“What about you?”

 

“It was fine, same old really.” Betty had been working at Pop’s since they were in high school. She’d always been the smartest out of the three of them and really had things going for herself - up until her mother gave away all their money and left Betty with nothing.

 

He was proud of her for finally doing it. It was going to take longer than she originally planned but eventually she’d get there.

 

After dinner the three of them watched a movie, Johnny picking as always. He didn’t really mind what they watched, he just liked the comfort he felt being with them, the only two people who mattered.

 

Johnny passed out between them on the couch like he always did, and Jughead carefully scooped him up before carrying him over to his room.

 

It was a shame SP couldn’t be here instead of him. He should have been. It should have been Jughead, not SP. It wasn’t fair that the one with the most to lose lost it.

 

Jughead lived with survivor's guilt every day, and no matter how many therapists told him it wasn’t his fault, it didn’t change things.

 

When Jughead came back out Betty was cleaning up the last of mess from dinner.

 

He told her he was heading out, reaching for his jacket.“Thanks again for dinner,” 

 

“Of course,” she said, leaning in to give him a hug. Her hugs were getting harder and harder to handle. Even though they were just hugs, and he’d been giving them to her since they were teens, they somehow felt like he was violating SP’s wife now.

 

“So, um,” she said, stopping him before he turned to walk away. “You’ll come with us to the grave on Friday?”

 

He nodded with a frown in his brow, not wanting to think about it. But of course he’d go.

 

“Good,” she smiled softly, “and I also wanted to ask…”

 

 _Anything_. All she had to do was ask and he’d give her whatever she wanted.

 

“I got a sitter for Johnny on Friday night… Can we just… I don’t know, maybe go out to the Wyrm and shoot some pool, have some beers? I can’t stay home alone that night.”

 

“Yeah, of course,” he found himself saying, even though with her there it would make the night ten times harder.

 

“Thanks, Juggie,” she said in final goodbye, and stood at the front door until he pulled out of the driveway.

 

He was dreading Friday.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Betty looked at herself nervously in the mirror, feeling like this ball of anxiety was bouncing around her insides without ever settling. She took a deep breath, trying to center herself.

 

Pressing the palms on her hands against her hips, she decided that her outfit was fine. It was just the Wyrm, waist high faded jeans and a tight tucked in black t-shirt were appropriate. Sweet Pea had never really liked her in black, but ever since he died it had turned into a staple in her wardrobe.

 

Today had been hard, visiting his grave with Johnny and Jughead. Four years, it had been four years since his death, and even longer since she spoke or saw him.

 

She missed him every second of every day, glancing at her nightstand and the picture of the two of them. He had been her everything, and ever since he left she hadn’t felt like herself. A huge and very important piece of her was missing.

 

To add onto her anxiety, there was guilt, guilt that she couldn't handle it anymore, guilt that she  _ wanted _ to move on. Guilt that maybe she already was moving on.

 

She grabbed her black sweater and headed out into the living room, checking in with the sitter to see if there was anything the girl needed before she went out to meet Jughead.

 

.

 

She didn’t come here often, but when she did she always felt at home. A lot of the regulars knew her and greeted her happily. She said hello in return before finally making her way over to Jughead in the far corner of the bar. He’d told her he’d get in early to grab them a pool table and some drinks. Friday’s were always busy.

 

“Hey,” he greeted with his familiar handsome smile. “Beer?”

 

“Sure,” Betty accepted, taking her sweater off and putting her stuff down on a nearby stool as Jughead poured her a glass from the pitcher.

 

He was a little out of it today. She knew Sweet Pea’s death affected him just as badly as it did her, maybe even more so since he was actually there when it happened, so it was only normal. She hoped having Johnny and her helped.

 

She thanked him and took a sip of the cold beer as Jughead set up their game and they got into the first round.

 

Her anxiety fell as they played, getting just a little lost in the fun activity and forgetting all her worries for the time being. It was exactly what she needed.

 

After playing a few more rounds, they decided to give the table to some other people who were waiting, and went to grab a high top. She watched Jughead with a small smile as he looked over the menu, like he didn’t know it inside out already.

 

“I’m starving, do you want some appetizers?”

 

“Sure,” She wasn’t really hungry but she knew how he liked to eat so she’d indulge him. Anything not to go home to an empty bed for a while longer. “Order whatever you want.”

 

Jughead glanced up at her with a bit of a cheeky smile before he got off the stool and told her he was going to go order. She watched him as he left, her eyes traveling to his ass as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

 

She quickly snapped out of it, pulling her eyes away. Every single time she found herself thinking he was cute (because he’d always been) she instantly felt so shameful. 

 

He was Sweet Pea’s best friend, he was Johnny’s godfather, and he was there for her because of his loyalty to her late husband. He’d been her friend forever and it wasn’t right that she was starting to think such things.

 

Jughead came back to the table with a fresh pitcher and glasses, pouring her another. Conversation between the two always came naturally so it’s not like they didn’t have things to talk about. It was nice really, just being out with him and trying to feel normal. She missed when she went out with Sweet Pea this way. She knew it wasn’t a date but she could at least pretend.

 

By the time they ate all their food, something inside Betty - maybe the alcohol - made her brave enough to push the conversation along onto heavier topics.

 

“Hey, Jug?”

 

Taking a sip of his beer, he just raised his eyebrows at her in response. 

 

She felt so guilty even thinking it, let alone saying it out loud. “Do you think… Can I ask you something?”

 

The amused look across his face made her feel a little hot. It was exhilarating to think about being kissed again, being kissed by  _ him _ . She hadn’t been with anyone in so long and she had no idea she could ever feel so lonely. But even the idea of the two of them was enough to make her a little giddy.

 

“Do you think it’s selfish if… if I maybe began dating again?”

 

The expression on his face shifted, like he was maybe a little uncomfortable with it. Although she wanted that person to be him, she understood it wouldn’t be so simple. First there was the matter of if he even found her attractive in that way and then there was the question of how he would feel about being with his best friend’s… _ widow _ . God, she hated the word. She was too young for it.

 

“I… No,” He shook his head, and it seemed like his train of thought was switching as he continued to talk. “Of course it’s not  _ selfish _ . I’m sure Sweat Pea would want you to move on eventually. I don’t think he’d want you to be alone forever.”

 

She nodded, looking down into her beer glass. She wasn’t sure why but that wasn’t exactly the answer she wanted, even though it was probably the best one she could have gotten.

 

Fighting through her shyness, she knew she’d probably regret it, but she asked anyway. “Can…” she sighed, not sure how to go about it. She’d been out of practice for so long. “You think we could go back to yours? I have the sitter all night and I don’t think I can drive.” 

 

His place was closer, walking distance, that was her excuse, but of course she meant more by it. Thankfully the implication was only there if they both saw it, and she hoped he didn’t. She wasn’t sure how she’d go about seducing him, or if she could even do it when it came down to it.

 

“Yeah, I’m ready to go, let me just close the tab,” He seemed happy to be done with the conversation. She always thought she was pretty good at reading him, but right now she wasn’t so sure.

 

She told him she’d meet him out front, needing a moment to process her thoughts before he joined her and they began their walk over to the trailer park. They were quiet, but there was no reason to read into it. They were together so often that silence was never awkward.

 

She felt so stupid and yet also kind of happy, excited for something new. A million thoughts were going through her head, both good and bad, but the biggest one was what he feeling and thinking?

 

She’d been to Jughead’s a million times, but tonight was different, this unspoken thing around them and all she wanted was to be wrapped tightly by it, give into it. She hoped he felt it too.

 

“You can have the bedroom,” he told her, taking his jacket off and making her frown.

 

“Oh, no that’s not…”

 

“It’s alright, I pass out on the couch all the time, it’s more comfortable than it looks,” he smiled kindly. He was kind, too kind. She didn’t deserve him but she thanked god she had him.

 

“You want a shirt to sleep in?” he asked, glancing down at her outfit. “I think I have some clean sweats too,”

 

She nodded and followed him to the bedroom, biting her lip as she watched him look through a few drawers. She found herself admiring him, his height and lean muscular body, dark hair falling over his eyes as it always did, making him run his fingers through it to push it out of the way. He was impossibly handsome and she was honestly surprised he wasn’t with someone already. There had been Toni, for a little while, but that didn’t work out.

 

“Jug,” she said, just as he turned to hand her a t-shirt and pair of sweats. “Please stay?” she dared ask. Her cheeks burned with the request.

 

He frowned, as if he didn’t know what she meant, but soon his expression turned to something else and his eyes closed. “I can’t, Betty,”

 

His voice was strained and made the sadness spike through her body. She suddenly couldn’t bare to be rejected by him.

 

“Why?” Wasn’t he alone too? Didn’t he need someone?

 

“I just… I can’t… ”

 

“No, it’s not that you can’t, it’s that you won’t. There’s a difference.” She wasn’t sure where it came from, but it broke out of her in a sort of unexpected rage. It was so unlike her.

 

He was clearly shocked by it, his eyes widening before looking at her in sympathy. She hated the way everyone looked at her like she was this broken helpless little woman.

 

“Why?” she asked again, this time more softly.

 

“Because you’re Sweet Pea’s!” he replied suddenly, the rage seeming to transfer from her to him.

 

“I’m Sweet Pea’s?” she asked in surprise.

 

“Fuck,” he whispered, dropping the clothes on the bed. “I don’t mean it that way.”

 

They were quiet then, allowing them both a chance to express themselves better.

 

“I can’t, Jug…  I can’t spend one more night alone, losing sleep in that bed that I can still feel him in… Please, please be with me? Just one night? I don’t want to be alone tonight… I can’t be.”

 

She felt so pathetic, standing here begging him to be with her. It was pathetic, there was no doubt in it.

 

She felt so badly to have put him in this position, and yet she had. He looked even more stressed out than he had been earlier in the day.

 

“I can’t just be a stand in for him, Betty. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? Knowing you’re thinking of him… I just, I can’t do that,”

 

“You’re not a stand in,” she said strongly. He was Jughead and Sweet Pea was Sweet Pea, she knew the difference. She knew what she was asking for. 

 

She took a step close to him, tears in her eyes as she reached for his hand. “You’re Jughead, I know who you are,” she said gently, “and I want  _ you _ ,”

 

She felt swallowed whole when his dark eyes finally looked into hers. And before she knew it, he grabbed the back of her neck gently and pulled her in for a bruising kiss.

 

It was like her lonely soul was colliding with his and she didn’t even need to feel it with her body, because she felt it so much deeper. She hoped he did too.


	3. Chapter 3

Laying there in his dark bedroom, with Betty peaceful in his arms, was quite literally the best feeling in the world. 

 

Well, maybe the second best, a close second to what they had just done a few minutes ago.

 

He’d been with other women of course, all of which were wonderful experiences, but all along he never known what was missing. Now that he had it he knew what it was - real, genuine love.

 

He loved Betty, that much he was sure of. And now that he had her, here and safe in his embrace, he didn’t want it to be just for tonight.

 

He knew that’s all she’d asked for, but now he wanted more.

 

There was still guilt, guilt over loving his best friend’s wife more than he should, but that love was overpowering every other emotion, and he didn’t care right now.

 

Stroking her soft hair as she laid her head on his naked chest, he’d never felt more content.

 

Betty moaned softly and cuddled in closer to him, her leg hooked up over his and fitting in perfectly against his body.

 

“Hey,” he whispered, suddenly used to this silence that had fallen upon the room as soon as they were done making love.

 

She looked up at him, shifting slightly so they could look at each other properly but still remain embraced. The room was dark, yet her eyes were still bright somehow, his heart swelling and making him feel overjoyed by how badly he needed her now.

 

“You okay?” she asked, after he didn’t continue.

 

He gave her a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m great… that was…”

 

Betty’s smile grew and he thought he couldn’t possibly be any happier than he was at the sight.

 

“That was what?” she asked, as if she needed verification of it being incredible.

 

“Amazing,” he clarified, “You’re amazing,”

 

Her pretty smile grew as she moved in for a soft kiss. He wanted to feel her lips on his forever now that he had a taste.

 

“Are you okay?” he whispered against her skin.

 

She nodded, her nose brushing against his gently. “I’m so good, Jug… thank you,”

 

He smirked affectionately. He’d never been thanked for sex, but it was nice. She didn’t need to thank him, not ever, but the simple words made him want to continue.

 

“I know you only asked me for tonight… but I ah,”

 

She frowned, raising her hand to his cheek. He felt so safe with her, safer than ever, more at home than ever.

 

“I want more than one night with you,” he was sick of being afraid. He had to work through his guilt.

 

She kissed him again, this time deeper and stronger. “Oh, thank god,” she breathed, shifting them further until she was on top of him, lips attacking lips and hands desperate to feel more skin.

 

She was so soft and so perfect, she smelled so good and gave him the biggest sense of euphoria.

 

He needed her, needed to hear the giggles that escaped her lips when he flipped her over and took charge, needed to feel her soft skin moving against his as they became one, listen to her moan his name in extacy.

 

When they were both coming and holding onto each other like anchors to the world, he didn’t care how soon it was, he needed to tell her he loved her. He did. She knew he did.

 

“I love you too,” she gasped, the two of them falling apart in a sweaty mess, bedsheets tangled around them.

 

She laughed sweetly after a moment of heavy breathing, and he turned to watch the miracle next to him.

 

She turned to her side and reached a hand out to his chest, which he held onto and brought up to his lips for a quick kiss.

 

She smiled at him kindly and moved in closer again, body close against his. “I could get used to this…”

 

“A man to use as you wish?” he teased, “hey, I’m happy to help,”

 

She shook her head. “You know you’re more than that,”

 

He nodded. He knew he was. He felt the love she had for him too, and he felt like a jerk for thinking she was using him as a replacement for what she lost. They both knew no one could replace Sweet Pea, all they could do was just live their best possible life, for him and the one that had been taken from him too early.

 

They grew silent again, but this time she spoke earlier than he had before. “You know…”

 

He waited and listened, knowing he’d listen to and love her for the rest of his life.

 

“I um… I had a crush on you… back when I first went on a date with Pea,”

 

He frowned, having no idea and not really believing it. “No…”

 

“Yeah,” she laughed. “I liked you and then Pea asked me out and I… well I liked him too of course, so I agreed,”

 

“I didn’t know any of this,” he smiled, thinking it was sweet. Obviously the better guy had gotten the girl.

 

“Pea knew… I told him some time after we got married. Think I just got pregnant with Johnny,”

 

He loved listening to her. “What’d he say when you told him?”

 

She shrugged. “He said something along the lines of being happy he asked me out before I made a move on you,”

 

He laughed again. He would have loved to see that. He always thought Betty was beautiful, and of course he liked her, but Sweet Pea was the better option for her, and clearly it had been the best choice. The two of them had been really happy together, the best couple he ever knew.

 

“I’m really sorry, Betty… I wish he was here now,”

 

She smiled and raised her eyebrows. “You do? Think he might have a thing or two to say about what we just did?”

 

He shook his head at her, but he liked this happy version of her. He missed her. “You know what I mean,”

 

“Yeah, of course I do… but it’s just us now, and I want you to know you aren’t my second choice… either was Pea,”

 

She looked down, obviously overcome with both joy from their current situation and sorrow at missing Sweet Pea.

 

“Hey,” he said, putting a finger under her chin and lifting her face to his. “I know now, I know your heart is big enough for both of us… I just want you and Johnny to be happy,”

 

She nodded. “We are Jug, you make us happy,”

 

“You make me happy too,”

 

It was going to take a lot. His guilt and all his issues weren’t going to disappear overnight, or maybe not ever, but he owed it to himself to live for what mattered, to find his happiness.


End file.
